She was humorous with her huge ball of personality. I could tell. She was one of those women that everyone noticed when they walked into the room because of her robust energy. She was a little taller than me with a short blonde bob. It had a stripe of blue in it, making her sapphire eyes shined with mischief. The black shirt she wore hung off her shoulder, showing golden sun-kissed skin. The front said, ‘Nirvana’, and I wondered if she was actually a fan or just the type that wore the shirt.
My brother was going to love her. He always had a thing for girls that have a bit of a rock and roll edge to them. Maria had tattoos up and down both of her arms in bright colors and fun patterns. I wished I was daring like her, but I’ve never had the courage to lay down for hours to have a needle hit my skin over and over again.
Pain scared the shit out of me.
“Here we go,” she said, reaching into the box. She pulled out two cups and two plates and handed them to me. She acted as if we had been best friends the way she stormed in here and took control. “Can you grab the wings and margarita mix? Thanks, Red.” She hurried to the middle of the living room and sat down on the beige carpet. Boxes surrounded her, and the only thing that worked was the tv and DVD player. We hadn’t been able to call to get the internet yet. I had been applying for jobs on my phone since the Wi-Fi couldn’t be installed until Friday.
I grabbed the blender full of margarita and plate full of wings and met her in the living room. Eventually, there would be furniture. It looked too naked in here. I was a little embarrassed having someone over since nothing was unpacked, but if Maria didn’t care, then it was fine.
“You have a great view of the city.” Maria opened the plastic container of wings and grabbed a drumstick. The buffalo sauce dripped from the meat, and my mouth watered for a taste. I hadn’t had wings in ages. I grabbed a flat since they were way better than the drumsticks, that’s just a fact and sunk my teeth into the juicy meat. I groaned in pleasure when the flavor burst across my tongue. The sauce was tangier than I thought it would be. It smelled spicy, but it was sweet. What a great surprise.
“Did you make these yourself?” I asked, licking the bone clean and then my fingers. I didn’t care what anyone said; the sauce on the fingertips was the best part.
She nodded and poured us each a glass of margarita. When she handed it over, the tequila in it made my eyes water.
“Holy shit. That’s strong.”
“It’s five o’clock somewhere, right?” She wiggled her perfectly sculpted brows and hid half of her face by the rim of the cup as she sipped her drink. Maria was very pretty, and her confidence was addicting. I wanted just a fleck of her confidence. Her body was tight and in shape while mine was curvy. I had big boobs and a butt to match. My thighs went on for days, and on top of it all, I was really short.
Five-foot on the dot to be exact.
“So, Lucy Lu,” she tore into another wing. “What brings you to The Big Apple? Anything juicy? Are you running away? Did you escape prison? Are you secretly a hitman? Tell me everything.”
I choked on my drink so hard; margarita shot out of my nose as I laughed and the alcohol burned my throat, making my eyes water. “Do I look like the serial killer type?”
She tilted her head to the side, tapping her wing against her lip as she studied me. “No, but—” Maria held out her finger for a moment of pause, “I have learned that all people come from a variety of backgrounds. So I’m just saying, I’ll keep your secret if you are running. Maybe you’re in witness protection?” She looked right and left to make sure we were alone, and it made me chuckle again. “Blink once for yes and twice for yes.”
“You’re a damn mess,” I said, throwing my head back laughing. This girl was nuts.
“I’m fun, though. So, really, why are you here?”
“Why are you?” I asked. “I’m obviously very different than you. What made you come to my apartment and not someone else’s?” I bit into another wing and then washed it down with a swig of tequila because that could not be considered a margarita. It was way too strong.
She lifted her exposed shoulder and bounced on her butt from all that energy flowing through her. “I’m an extroverted person.”
“No, you don’t say?” I joked.
She grinned. “I know I’m a lot, but I don’t jive with a lot of people. I like to give everyone a chance. I’m friendly. I like to see the good in people, and I know what it’s like being the new kid on the block. Starting over in a city this size is hard, but it doesn’t have to be if you make friends. You seemed nice, so I came over. I know I look like I’d be the type of person that breaks into your apartment, but I’m not.”
“What? I never thought that. That’s horrible. Don’t think that of yourself,” I threw my chicken wing at her and it hit her right in the face. “Oh,” I covered my mouth with my hand, and both of us stopped moving, breathing, wondering if I really just threw a chicken wing in her face, and we fell over laughing, holding our stomachs until tears flowed down our cheeks.
“Someone is having a good time.”
My brother’s voice cut through the giggles, and when I looked at the clock, three hours had already gone by. I ran to him and gave him a big hug. “You’re home! Logan, this is our neighbor, Maria. Maria, this is my brother Logan.”
Maria got up, and the interest in her eyes was unmistakable. My brother was a good-looking guy, but if Maria and I were going to be friends, Logan was off-limits. “Nice to meet you, Logan.” She held out her hand, the black-painted fake fingernails gleaming in the light.
“You too,” he replied, sliding his hand in her palm.
Maria jerked him forward, and Logan stumbled closer, almost slamming against her. “You never told me your brother was so good looking, Lucy Lu.”
“Ew, gross,” I mumbled, crinkling my nose.
“Brat,” Logan said, but the interest in his eyes as he stared back at Maria mirrored her own. He took a step back from her, leaving Maria pouting, and that’s when I saw dirty boot prints on the floor. “Nice to meet you, Maria. I need to get in the shower.”
“Is that an invitation, Red-Hot?” Maria teased, sending him a wink.
All Logan did was give her a slanted smirk as he slid the shirt over his head and placed the smelly thing on her chest. “No, it isn’t. I’ll see you around though, I imagine.” Logan walked away, leaving Maria licking her lips and staring at his back.